 What you eat is important, but when and how you eat, that's important as well. Now, before we dive in, let me just say that what ultimately works for you is probably going to be different than what works for someone else. So I'm going to give you a few general things to think about. You can do what's best for you. Let's start with the when. Just about all experts agree that you should eat a substantial breakfast and then your meals should get smaller throughout the day. Also, you should try not to eat in the few hours before you go to bed.